


The Treasure Box

by PattRose



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: AU, Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-06 18:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12823581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: Jim receives a box from his deceased mother and finds out a lot about things he didn’t even know he wondered about.Merry Christmas, Lisa, Duncan’s Twin.  You’re my best friend and I love doing things for you, so when you had this idea I knew I had to go with it.  Enjoy and have a very happy holiday.  (I'm way too early, but we have a new baby coming and I'm so busy.  I didn't want to forget.)





	The Treasure Box

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LisaDuncansTwin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LisaDuncansTwin/gifts).



The Treasure Box  
By PattRose  
Summary: Jim receives a box from his deceased mother and finds out a lot about things he didn’t even know he wondered about.  
Warnings: Sort of an AU story. Lots of angst.  
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 3142  
A/N: Merry Christmas, Lisa, Duncan’s Twin. You’re my best friend and I love doing things for you, so when you had this idea I knew I had to go with it. Enjoy and have a very happy holiday.

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/lisasstory_zpsliuokcnc.jpg.html)

Jim Ellison was sitting at home on a quiet Sunday all by himself when there was a knock at the door. Jim opened it and a UPS driver was standing there with a large box. “I have a box for Jim Ellison.”

“From who?” Jim asked. 

“Someone named Grace Ellison, in Seattle. Do you want to sign for it?”

“Sure…” Jim signed the paper and picked the box up from the floor. “Thank you.”

“Have a good holiday, Jim.”

Jim found it odd that this stranger was telling him to have a good holiday and called him by name. _He must just be friendlier than I would be._

Jim wondered why his mother would be sending him a box now, since he hadn’t heard from her since he was ten. He put the box on the table and got the box cutter out. He snipped the tape off in nothing flat and opened it up to find many other little boxes. Jim saw a newspaper article and picked that up and took in a sharp intake of breath. It was his mother’s obituary. She had died the previous Sunday. Jim felt a sadness overcome him and he wasn’t even sure why. He didn’t know her except from what he remembered when he was young. And that wasn’t that much. 

Jim wondered if his dad knew about his mom. Jim had just started seeing his dad once a month six months ago. But his dad never brought up his mother. Jim might have to call for some answers, but then again, maybe this box would have all the answers he needed. 

The first thing he found was a letter. He opened it up and started to read it. 

_“Dearest James,_

_I know this is a bad way to tell you things, but I knew that I had to send these things to you. I loved you till the day I found out I was dying. I’m sorry I didn’t come around. I couldn’t. You see I had some mental problems and ended up in a hospital for the insane. I went through shock therapy and many other things, but nothing seemed to help. Your father tried to hold out hope that I would be back, but I stayed here until I found out I was dying. They promised me everything would come to you and Steven when I passed. So I am praying that they weren’t just telling me this. Actually, the hospital was very good to me, James. I know your father doesn’t call you James, but I always did because you were named after my father. He passed away years before you were born. I’m so sorry that you never met him. He was a very good man._

_Don’t be angry at your father for not telling you about me. I didn’t want to see you boys. I never recovered after the therapy and didn’t want you to feel sorry for me. Your father came up to see me once a month and I’m sure he’ll come for my funeral service. I swore him to secrecy. Your father was very angry, but not at you boys or at me. He was mad at life in general. He wanted us to be a family. I told him I wanted him to remarry, but he would never do it. As far as I know he stayed true to me until the end. He must have been so sad and lonely._

_As you can see, none of this was anyone’s fault. It just happened. There was nothing your father could do to help me. I’m sorry I missed out on your life. And in this box you will find journals that I kept during the years. I want you to read them so you know how your father might have been feeling._

_He told me what a nice young man you grew up to be and I was so proud. He was too, even if he didn’t say anything. Your dad had a hard time with emotions. Do you? I know about Blair and hope you share your emotions with him. Don’t keep them inside and to yourself. You would become like your father. Sad, lonely and bitter. I want you to have much more than that._

_I hope you enjoy all the things I saved of yours. Take your time. Maybe take some time off work. Tell them your mother died and you need time to process and grieve. Once you have read it all and looked at everything maybe you could see your father. He will be very sad. You won’t notice it, but believe me he’ll be sad. He loved me all those years, James and never asked for anything in return. All I ask from you is that you give him some of your time. Spend it with him and talk about me. He won’t want to, but make him, James._

_You will always be in my heart, young James. Take care of yourself and try to be happy. I loved you as much as I could. Remember that._

_With love,_

_Mom_

Jim held the letter close to his heart and felt tears running down his face. Here he had thought it was his fault that she left. And his dad knew but couldn’t tell him. This broke Jim’s heart that his mom wouldn’t let the boys visit her. 

The door to the loft opened and in walked Blair. He saw Jim crying softly and went to his side. “What happened, Jim?”

“My mom had this box sent to me in the event of her death. She died a week ago. And she was all alone. My dad has been going to see her once a month since we were ten. He never ever broke his promise to her. She was embarrassed that she had a mental breakdown. Do you think it might have been Sentinel Senses?” 

“It could have been, Jim. I’m sorry she died and you didn’t get a chance to see her. But now you have your very own angel up in heaven.”

“Did you see this box filled with things? I want you to go through everything with me. It’s going to be very time consuming. I’m taking a week off for my mom’s death and hope that you might be able to take some time off too.”

“I’ll call the university right now. You won’t have to do this alone, babe.”

“Thank you, Blair. I love you so much. I don’t tell you enough.”

“You do too. Don’t doubt yourself over this, Jim. You’re very good about loving me, never doubt that.”

Jim pulled him closer to his body and just held on for dear life. 

“Let me call to get off work. You do the same thing. Then we can start going through the box of treasures.”

Jim pulled himself together and called Simon while Blair called the university. Before long both men were off the telephone and heading towards the box. 

“Where do you want to start, Jim?”

“I want to read a few passages from her journal. I think then I will give them to my dad. I can’t believe that he kept this from us our entire lives. It’s just so sad.”

“She swore him to secrecy, Jim.” Blair picked the first journal out and handed it to Jim. “Let’s sit down in the living room. We’ll be more comfortable.”

Jim also grabbed his baby book. He had never seen any of this, so this was going to be hard, but yet something he wanted to do. 

“Let’s look at your baby book first, Jim.”

Jim opened up the book and the first page had his newborn picture in it. “I was so small, wasn’t I?”

“And precious. So sweet looking.”

Jim read about how much he weighed, how long he was and what color of hair he had. Then he turned to the next page and there was a darling picture of him, holding himself up with a small towel over his head. Blair kissed his cheek and said, “You were just darling, Jim.”

His mother had put pictures of herself and William in the book holding Jim. They were all cute. Jim got a little sadder each page he passed. His mother was beautiful. He had forgotten what she looked like. “Chief, I would love to blow up this picture of me, my mom and my dad for upstairs.”

“We’ll do it tomorrow. It’s nice having them. I’m so glad that your mom thought to send them to you.”

“I’m going to love knowing all these things about growing up in the first years. My dad never shared any of that with us. Thank God my mom kept these books and thought to send them to us when she got sick. I love all the pictures in the book. I want a bunch of my mom on my dresser. It’s like I found her and need to keep her close.”

Blair hugged Jim close and kissed his neck. “I think I love your mom. She was a wonderful woman to keep track of everything when you were little. Even though she was having troubles, she still kept up the books. She was a good mom, Jim. I want you to remember all things you can about her. And then I want you to tell me too. I want to feel like I knew her also.”

After about an hour, Jim finished the baby book and set it on the coffee table. “She was so great, Blair. And to think I almost forgot what she looked like. I will never be able to say that again. Her picture is going to be all over our home. Along with your mom’s pictures. I wanted what you had with Naomi, but I’ll take this. She was a very good woman and the fact that my dad stayed by her side all those years says a lot about her.”

“I agree, Jim. We’ll have a mom wall. It’s going to be awesome.”

Jim opened up the first journal. It was the first time he would actually almost hear his mom’s voice after all these years. 

_Day one away from my children:_

_My heart feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest. I had to leave my boys with their father. William doesn’t really understand, but he still stands behind me no matter what happens. James is only ten years old. He’s too young to understand what mental illness means. I pray that William will be able to tell them something that isn’t so hurtful. I will hope and pray that soon I will be with them again. I miss William’s arms around me at night. He loved me so much and I just hope he has enough to love the boys too. My heart hurts. I wonder if they missed me tonight._

Jim closed the book and put his head in his hands and cried very softly. She didn’t leave him because she didn’t want him. She left him to get better. And Jim spent his entire life hating her for leaving him. And why couldn’t his dad have broken the promise he made to his wife? Jim needed comforting and instead got a father that seemed mad at him for something. As Jim softly cried, Blair held on to him. 

“Blair, she wondered if we missed her that first night. Stevie and I were brokenhearted and wished that we could figure out what had happened to make her leave. Dad never said anything to help us understand. I think I hate my dad right now.”

“Jim, don’t hate your dad. Let’s read some more of the journal and see what else she has to say.”

_Day Two:_

_I talked with William tonight on the phone and he wanted to bring the boys up to the hospital to see me. He said they were very upset and he wanted them to see I was all right. I made him swear on their lives that he would never tell them about me. I don’t want them to know how sick I am. The doctor fears its Schizophrenia. I never want my boys to know this. Never. Finally after about an hour, William promised me he would keep the news to himself. He was so sad. He asked if he could come up once a week to Seattle and see me, but I told him once a month. He could ask Sally to watch the boys. They would never know that their mother was insane. Thank God for that. William asked me to call him from time to time and I told him I would. I just couldn’t talk to the boys. They are such good boys. I hope William will do a good job raising them until I’m better. If I’m ever better. I’m so lonely and this is only the second day. I miss James the most. I can’t begin to explain how much I loved him. He took such good care of Steven and he was still very young himself. But James was always like that. Strong but loving. I hope I get to see him again someday._

Jim looked at Blair and asked, “How can I read the entire journals if this is what the first two days do to me?”

“I think you should pick one out from years later and start there. See if it makes any difference. But before you do that, let’s see what else your mom sent for you that she saved.”

Jim got up and got the box and brought it over to the coffee table. “Look, Chief, she saved my first few teeth that I lost. She kept them all those years. Do you believe it?”

“She must have loved you so much. What else is in there?”

“Oh, look. It’s my newborn bracelet from the hospital. I can’t believe how tiny it is. Do you believe I was ever that small?”

“I do now, man. This is so precious. Look at this! Here is your first outfit you wore to go home from the hospital. You were so tiny. And the booties are just darling. You know what we’re going to get?”

“What?” Jim asked. 

“A big shadow box frame and put all these precious things inside of it. It will make you feel loved every time you go by it. I can’t wait to get one at the hobby store.”

Jim pulled out a necklace that was very tiny with a note on it. The note said, _James, this was your grandfather’s baby necklace and it was handed down to you. After all you were named after him._

“Something else for the shadow box, Chief.”

The next thing Jim picked out was a man’s wedding ring. It also had a note that said, _This was your grandfather’s and he left it for me if I ever had a little girl that would get married. But your father told me about you and Blair, so please size this for Blair. I want him to have it. I wish things could have been different for you and me, but they weren’t. I’m sorry my little love. Remember me with love not anger, please?_

“She used to call me her little love. I remember that. I loved when she called me that.” Jim was sad, but not as sad as before. Now he was concentrating on his mom’s love for him. 

“There are tons of little boxes in here, Jim. I say we take it easy for tonight and just think about what she said so far.”

“Do you think she was a Sentinel, Chief?”

“I don’t know, man. But if so, they misdiagnosed her badly. I wish she could have run into someone like me. Her life would have been different. Perhaps. You can ask your dad about what exactly she had and see what he says.”

“Blair, I’m so angry at my dad right now, I don’t ever want to see him. He knew all this and kept it from us. And he was mean to us. Okay, maybe he was meaner to me. Why? Did I remind him of her?”

“Maybe so, Jim. But don’t hate your dad for keeping his promise to your mom all those years. A normal person would have told their kids out of spite. Your dad must have loved her to the end.”

“You sound like you’re on my dad’s side,” Jim said. 

“I’m on no one’s side, babe. I just know that your mom loved your dad and she loved you and Steven also. It’s no one’s fault. It just happened and you’ll have to get past being mad at your dad.”

“I’ll read some more of her journals and hear what she says about my dad and I’ll go from there.”

“Jim, you just got to the point where you and your dad are friendly and get together once a month. You don’t want that to change do you? As I said before he was keeping a promise to her. It’s not his fault. You’re going to have to get past this.”

“You’re right. I’m going to get a few journals and lie down upstairs and read them. Would you like to join me?”

“I would love to join you. But you also need to think about your brother right now too. If she mailed a box to him too, he might be very confused.”

“I’ll contact Steven tomorrow and see how he’s doing. And I’ll call my dad tomorrow too. We’ll have dinner and talk about mom. I think it would be nice. Our own little wake.”

“Go upstairs and I’ll bring you a beer. I’ll be up in a moment,” Blair said. 

Jim picked out the things he wanted to read and then walked up the stairs. Blair locked up everything and shut all the lights off. He knew this was going to be the hardest time that Jim had ever had. Blair would be there for him no matter what happened. He got the beers and walked up the stairs to join the love of his life. 

Life was good sometimes-and other times, hard and sad.

The end


End file.
